Moccasin



1.. B. HADAWAY.

MOGCASIN.

APPLICATIONF-ILED SEPT. l7 191.8.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF ICEQ JOHN B. HADAWAY, F SWAMPSGOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, JERSEY.

OF PAT'ERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW MOGCASIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Mar. 8, 1921.

Application filed September 17, 1918. Serial No. 254,414.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN B. HADAWAY, a citizen. of the Unitedstates,residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Moccasins, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the 0 drawings indicating like parts in the several figures. W

This invention relates to footwear and particularly to moccasins and has for its object to eii'ect an improvement in moccasins and other footwear and in methods for their production. The invention will be explained in connection with moccasins and their manufacture and its application to the manufacture of other kinds of footwear will 2 be readily understood.

It has been customary to make moccasins by cutting out from the heel 'end of the foot blank a suitably shaped piece of stock and then drawing the marginal edge of the blank backwardly to produce the toe pocket, gathering the cut edges together and ,abutting them at the heel, and fastening them by a T-shaped seam. This procedure was followed because, in the process of moccasin manufacture until recently known, it was necessary to cutoutsome of the stock from the blank in order to produce the heel and toe pockets in the foot piece of the moccasin. The vertical member or stem of the T-shaped seam incidentally served the function of stiffening theheel end of the moccasin in a way to reduce its tendency to slump or crumple down duringwear, it be: ing understood that moccasins are made Without the counter or heel stiffener thatmaintains the shape of wear-1' I In accordance with this invention, the cutting out and seaming may, if desired, be dispensed with and surplus stock is taken up to assist in producing the heel pocket, and it may. be also the toe' pocket, by molding puckers into' the grain or outer side of, the upstanding margin of the foot piece at the heel, and the heel is stifiened to maintain it in upstanding condition during wear by stitching through the said puckers. Preferably this is done by blind stitching and in such a way as to have substantially a smooth inside surface and a verticallyribhed outother kinds of footside surface at the heel, the ribs being, made permanent and their stifiening functlon enhanced by the stitching.

The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the illustrative moccasin and the method by which it is made, reference being had to. the accompanying drawings, and the nvention will be particularly pointed out Ill tile claims at the end of the specification.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective v ew of a moccasin made in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 .shows a blank from which the foot piece of a moccasin is to be made; and

Fig. 4 shows a Way of producing the ribs in the stock drawing and molding operations in which the blank is shaped.

This invention has been made in connection with the work of my associates described in the application of John J. Heys, filed January 18, 1917, Serial No. 143,087, and the application of J. H. Pope, filed September 8, 1919, Serial No. 322,524, references to which are made by permission. It IS not to be understood, however, that this invention is limited to use with said other inventions.

In the practice trated in the drawings, a blank usual thick moccasin leather is cut out, having preferably a continuous peripheral edge. By a drawing operation and a molding operation, as fully set forth in said applications, this blank is transformed into the toe and heel pocketed foot piece or member 5 adapted to be sewn to the toppiece 6 and quarters '7 of the moccasin Flg. 1. In accordance with my invention these shaping operations may include the ribbing of the of this invention as illus- 2 of the r upstanding heel, and it may be also the toe portion of the 'foot piece as by he use of an outer shaping member 10, Fig. 4, that will cooperate with the plunger 12 to produce the ribs-or puckers 15 in the outer or grain side of the stock, thus accommodating fullness in the marginal portion of the moldedblank. The ribs are then stitched as at 16, Fig. 2, to render them permanent and to enhance their stifiening function. The stitches are preferably made in an are, as can readily be done with a curved needle, and. are preferably blind stitches not extending to the inner side of the work. They may advantageously be deeper, and the size of the rib greater near the top. 7

The permanently held puckers or ribbed formation assists in production of the heel pocket in the moccasin so that it will not slip up and down on' the heel of the wearer, and the stiffen the heel so that it will not slump own or soon lose its shape during wear.

Having described my improvement in moccasins and how my novel method of maklng moccasins maybe practlsed, I claim 7 as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A moccasin having puckers or vertical ribs formed in the stock of the upturned margin of the foot piece at the heel end, and blind stitching inserted to render the ribs permanent and stiffen the heel portion of the moccasin against slumping down.

2. A moccasin having a continuous or uncut end portion and having fullness disposed in vertical ribs rendered permanent and longitudinally stiffened. p

3. An article of footwear having a portion shaped and rendered stiff by gathering fullness into ribs and blind stitching the ribs to render them permanent and stiff.

4. An article of footwear having a foot end pocket formed by gathering the stock into exterior ribs of greatest depth near the top of the pocket, and blind stitches extending through the ribs and increasing in depth near the top of the pocket.

5. That improvement in the manufacture of footwear which consists in shaping sheet stock to form a foot member comprising an upstanding portion having a foot end pocket 'and gathering the stock on the exterior of and blind stitching the said pocket into ribs,

permanent and stiffen ribs to render them the pocket. v

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

' JOHN B. HADAWAY.

signed my 

